British households are binning more than 4.2 million tonnes of food every year, according to a study from supermarket Sainsbury’s.
This means that people are also missing out on 60 tonnes of vital vitamins and minerals from products that are thrown away.
Sainsbury’s has conducted the study to launch its new campaign …to the rescue…
This shows that nutrient rich potatoes, bread and milkare among the most thrown away foods, with 1.65 million tonnes being thrown away each year.
Annually, 733,000 tonnes of potatoes are chucked away, which equates to enough potassium to feed the population of Blackpool their recommended daily allowance for a week.
Sainsbury’s nutritionist Annie Denny said: “We’re all guilty of throwing away lots of key nutrients that help our bones grow, fight against illness and maintain organ function – all vital to keeping us healthy.
“By making the most of our food, we can all go a long way to ensuring we’re not just saving money, but also taking on board enough of those key nutrients to do their jobs.”
Sainsbury’s head of sustainability Paul Crewe added: “Throwing away food is often associated with wasting money, but our research published today as part of our …to the rescue… campaign shows there is also a wider health issue.
“Our easy tips and recipes have been created to assist with both reducing food waste and benefitting the health of UK families.
“None of Sainsbury’s food waste goes to landfill and any surplus food fit for human consumption is donated to charities.”
